Are You Willing?
by ApocaLypseE13
Summary: Rouge D. Kira has always been powerful, mostly thanks to her devil fruit. As Whitebeard's first division commander she was respected and feared across the world by both navy and pirate. Then she meets him, and with one "FIRE FIST!" he rocks her whole world.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, yet.

I do, however, own Kira, my OC. Please don't use her or if you do, give credit.

*There are fourteen division commanders under Whitebeard's command.

"Oi, Pops!" Kira, first division commander* of the Whitebeard pirates, tapped her foot on the tan floorboards of the Moby Dick impatiently, rolling her eyes at her captain's slowness. The giant ship violently rocked back and forth on the huge, frothy waves that were slamming its side. Thunder boomed overhead, and lightning flashed, illuminating Kira's face in the darkness of Whitebeard's massive captain's cabin. Thatch, commander of the fourth division, was standing beside her, leaning against the wooden wall.

The old man groaned, the bed creaking under him as he rolled up into a sitting position. His nose tubes clanked against the wooden bed frame as he adjusted them. His bare chest was flecked with scars older than Kira had been alive.

 _Edward Newgate,_ Kira thought with a smile, her teeth flashing, _You never change, do you?_ She tugged on her clean white gloves, annoyed both by the sweat now soaking her hands and the fact that she had to keep them on all the time, around anyone on the crew who had eaten a devil fruit and especially her division members and captain.

At 17 years old, Kira was the youngest commander to ever rank as high as first division on Whitebeard's ships. Ever since Edward Newgate, A.K.A Whitebeard, had taken her in as a little girl and raised her to be a pirate she had always worked her hardest to impress him, training day and night in hand-to-hand combat against the toughest opponents on the ship, studying with Marco, (a blond haired man much older than she was, but was taken in at the same time and became like a brother to her) until her brain hurt, and even eating a devil fruit to become so powerful she even scared herself. It was eating the devil fruit she regretted most, because now she could not touch anyone else with a devil fruit power, though finally she was awarded one year ago on this day, when she earned the title of first division commander, beating Marco in the final match and proving her strength, landing him the title of third division commander. The only person on the ship who ranked higher than Kira did was Whitebeard, the captain.

"Pops!" Kira crossed her arms. She knew she should be patient with him, but her cross tone snapped him awake, and he glared at her.

"What, Kira?" Whitebeard's grumpy attitude and violent temper were some of the many things that got him crowned the Strongest Man in the World, or The Man Closest to the One Piece. Having eaten the Tremor-Tremor devil fruit, or the Gura-Gura no Mi, Whitebeard had the ability to create earthquakes that shook both earth and sea. He could crack the air and create explosions that were known to destroy mountains, buildings and people. At 12-13 feet tall, Whitebeard, (Also known as Pops or Old Man to his crew) was a giant. He wore no shirt but instead a jacket, very much resembling one of the navy's, that had his symbol, a skull with a mustache and a horizontal bone crossed behind the skull with a vertical bone, on it. His weapon was a bisento, meaning "brow blade", and it's massive size fit only its owner. It had a striped pole, with a dubbed end. It brought destruction to all it crossed.

"Pops, somebody wants to take your head." Kira tried to force urgency into her voice, pressing the issue down hard upon him.

Whitebeard rolled his piercing grey eyes. "You will have to be more specific. Thousands want to take my head."

Thatch groaned, shifting his weight to his right leg. He absolutely _loathed_ it when Whitebeard joked about the entire navy, plus an endless number of pirates, wanting to kill him. Kira hated it too; Whitebeard was like a father to all of the crew, the only home most of them ever had.

Whitebeard glanced at Thatch and chuckled, the deep sound resonating from his chest. "Alright, Kira, who is it after me now?" He tilted his head in permission for her to continue.

Nodding, Kira gently pulled a crinkled newspaper out of her coat pocket. She flattened it against her thigh, then started reading, the headline of the paper popping out in bold black letters, demanding attention.

"His name is Portgas D. Ace, Captain of the famous super-rookies, the Spade Pirates, and he's a user of the Mera-Mera no Mi."

Whitebeard, a thoughtful look on his face, stroked his thick white mustache. It shined in the darkness of the cabin; the only light gracing their eyes was lightning, it's bright flashes outlining Whitebeard's massive form.

"The Flame-Flame fruit, you say? Interesting." He grunted, gesturing for her to go on.

Kira nodded again, scanning quickly through the page for more information.

"He's seventeen, and turned down the offer to join the shichibukai (The Seven warlords of the Sea). He has met with 'Red-Haired' Shanks, and is now trying to prove his strength by taking your head." She stopped, a small gasp escaping her lips. Whitebeard's steel grey eyes narrowed.

"His adopted grandfather is the marine hero and navy admiral, 'Garp the Fist'" She whispered, disbelief etched across her face. Thatch, shock spreading across his features, swore. Whitebeard showed no sign of surprise or, frankly, any emotion at all. He simply looked slightly intrigued.

Shoving the already-crumpled paper back into her pocket, Kira tried to organize her jumbled thoughts. _He's only seventeen, that's my age! Obviously he's not as strong as Pops, or me, for that matter, but I wonder why he wants to fight the Old Man? He has to know he's going to die. But… Pops is old… 69, my goodness. If this guy is as good as they say, his youth and skill may be enough to..._

She shook her head, punishing the traitorous thoughts, then started out the door, her footsteps silent on the creaky floorboards. Stealth was one of her specialties, her footsteps soft after years of training them.

"Kira?" Whitebeard's rough voice washed over her. She halted in the doorway, her back to him. Thatch had left already, storming out the door, undoubtedly sharing Kira's thoughts about Portgas D. Ace being an actual threat. _I may really have to get involved in this fight. I don't want Pops to die, and I'd like to have the Mera-Mera no Mi's power._ Kira's mouth twitched into a half smile. _Poor guy,_ she smirked, _he won't know hit him._

"LAND HOOOOOOO!" The watchmen of the Moby Dick cried, his call echoing around the dead-silent ship, still with the tension of pre-battle. Kira, now 3 weeks older, tensed, her muscles begging for a fight. Fog swirled around her, dampening her golden skin.

 _This is it, Kira._ She narrowed her ebony-lashed, ice-blue eyes. Her red-gold hair was tossed gently over her left shoulder, keeping it out of her face. She felt the hard bump of the Moby Dick hitting land, and a rough, booming voice summoned the crew's attention.

"Where's the kid who wants to take my head?" Whitebeard demanded as Kira peered through the fog, looking for Portgas D. Ace. To her delight, he was already face-down on the ground, opposing the limp body of the fishman Jinbi, an old friend to Whitebeard and a shichibukai. From the look of the fight, Ace had won, but both men were out cold, with Portgas' crew watching the Moby Dick approach with horror.

"He's good." Kira's impressed voice cut through the fog, barely audible over the thundering of Whitebeard continuing his speech.

"As you wish, I'll take you on!" He grinned, also catching on that Ace was already half dead.

"I'll handle this myself." He jumped from the ship, landing with a resounding thud. Walking forward, he blew back Portgas' crew with a nod of his head, the power of the Gura-Gura no Mi thrumming through the air.

Ace, pushing himself off the ground, (apparently not unconscious), created a ring of fire around himself and Whitebeard, cutting off both his crew and Whitebeard's access to the two captains. His jet-black hair fell into his dark eyes, and his freckles stood out against his tan skin. Kira judged him to be a little over six feet tall, still dwarfed by Whitebeard. All in all, she thought he was very attractive. _It's really a shame that he might die..._

"Captain! Captain Ace! What are you doing?" His crew cried out, defiant and terrified at the same time. Most of them had been battered by the battle between their captain and the Warlord, and others were even unconscious. The ones who were awake, though, were begging Ace to give up and run, although he was having none of it.

"Run, you guys!" Ace, already panting from the effort of creating the fire ring, shouted. His crew backed away, unable to see him, reassured he was alive only by the sound of his voice.

"Alright.." Kira had to admit; she was impressed by Ace's determination, but was it bravery or stupidity? _We'll just have to find out._ She thought, smirking as both males rallied their powers.

The ground shook as the two men clashed.

"AHHHGGGHHHHH!" Ace's scream resonated throughout Kira's cabin, making the whole vessel quake. It was 7:00 in the morning, and already the entire ship was awake. Kira sighed and threw her covers aside, sliding her legs over the edge of her soft bed. _That must be the millionth time he's done this._ She rolled her piercing eyes, walking over to the wooden cabin door.

Opening it, she squinted in the bright sunlight, making out the shapes of Whitebeard and Marco on the ship's main deck. Whitebeard was still sleeping in his huge captain's chair, snoring softly, and Marco was laughing obnoxiously. Marco's third division men and women were leaning over the railing of the ship, peering out into the blue water below. Kira could see Ace there, thrashing in vain, trying to keep himself afloat.

"Oi!" Kira shouted, getting the attention of the crew. "WHAT is going on here?! Can't you idiots see that Pops is trying to sleep?! What will you do if he wakes up?!" She glared daggers at Marco, who was still cracking up.

"...and YOU! Stop laughing, someone still has to save Ace! He's a devil fruit user, you know!" The third division shrunk back, including Marco, frightened by Kira's temper.

Marco was the first to speak. "Alright, alright. John!" A burly man with mousy brown hair started at Marco's sharp command.

"You're not a devil fruit user, correct?"

"H-hai!"

"Then go save him!"

John nodded, quickly removing his jacket and sword and diving into the deep sea.

 _God,_ thought Kira, _How long will this go on?_ She whipped her head around at the sound of coughing and sputtering. John had re-emerged, carrying a waterlogged Ace over his shoulders. Kira ran over to the edge of the ship, startling many of the third division men. Men couldn't help but be startled by her. She was, after all, the most beautiful woman in the world, other than Boa Hancock. _I could beat that witch any day,_ Kira smirked, then turned her attention to the logia user in the water.

"Oi, Kira!" Ace's call made her smile; he was still grinning even though his ass had been handed to him.

"Kira! Did you see that? I was closer today!" Kira playfully rolled her eyes. The quirky 17-year-old was almost always positive, and his attitude was often contagious.

"Ace! When are you going to give it up? Pops is way stronger than you, just admit it!" She teased, smirking at the boy's persistence. This was the 93 time he had tried to kill Whitebeard, after the Old Man had beaten Ace and taken him onto the Moby Dick, offering Ace a spot on his crew and accepting him as a son. Ace had been shocked; his title of captain ripped from him and his dreams of becoming the Pirate King shattered. Rebelling, he then tried to fulfill his claim and continued to go after Whitebeard's head, day after day, while Whitebeard continuously beat him. The crew never took Ace as a serious threat. Why should they? With Kira and her ability, most of the time the crew feared nothing. Besides, Pops didn't seem to need Kira to be able handle Ace himself.

John, upset that he had been the one to have to rescue Ace, threw the young man up to the deck. Ace landed with a thud, cracking the wooden floorboards. He coughed, spitting up salty sea water, then flopped back down onto his back, panting. Kira, laughing, walked over to his soaking wet body and held out a hand over him. Just before he went to grasp it a powerful shout snapped through the air.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH HER!" Kira, startled, yanked her hand backwards, away from Ace's. Gasping, she turned, scanning for the voice. Marco, the one who shouted, ran across the deck, shoving Kira away from Ace. Kira was too shocked to care, her mouth open in disbelief. Marco, after helping Ace up himself, started asking him if he had touched Kira's hands in any way. Ace just shook his head, seemingly fine.

Ace stared at Kira, ignoring Marcos concerns. He was smiling placidly, as if nothing was wrong, but his eyes screamed betrayal and hurt, a sight that made Kira want to curl up in a ball and hide from his accusing glare. Even though she had only known him for 2 months, she was beginning to seriously care for him, and it pained her greatly to see him looking at her like that.

"Kira… What were you trying to do to me?" Ace asked, his voice cautious, eyes wary. Kira stumbled backwards, away from his icy stare. Her hands shaking, she held them out in front of her, her palms facing the sunlit sky.

"I didn't… what did you think I was-" She was interrupted by a seriously shocked Thatch, who seemed to have just woken up.

"What the hell is going on here?! Kira, I've never once seen you be so careless! What happened?" Thatch, his voice cracking, grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly before pushing her forcefully down onto the wooden deck. She winced as her back thudded against the floor.

Immense guilt washed over her as she glanced up at the three livid men. Realising the state she was in, crouched on the ground with her hands up in surrender, she felt hot, boiling anger well up inside her, overwhelming her guilt immediately. She would not relive her past. She was the most powerful woman in the world! She would _not_ be pushed around just because they thought she'd made a small mistake. Brushing herself off and straightening her sky-blue crop top, she stood up, her temper flooding off in waves of power.

Marco felt the change in Kira before she did herself. He _felt_ her guilt shift into anger, and saw the storm clouds roll into her eyes. His hands began to tremble as she stood up, and he took a step away. All of his instincts were screaming for him to turn tail and run. _Oh Thatch. She may have made a mistake but you just made a bigger one. She looks ready to kill someone, which she probably will._ Turning to his left, he saw Ace and Thatch stumbled backwards, their expressions mimicking his own. The rest of the crew began to back off as Kira stood up.

 _I've never felt power like this before._

Then the storm ebaded. The power thrumming through the air dissipated, and Kira breathed out, sighing deeply. She relaxed, rolling her shoulders. The rest of the crew, including Ace, Marco and Thatch, edged around her warily, eyeing her calm composure.

"Kira… A-are you okay now?" Ace reached out toward her, extending a hand, a sign that he was no longer afraid of her. She glanced at him then started laughing. The crew, startled, jumped back as the clear, melodious sound of Kira's merriment extended out over the ship. She laughed so hard she cried until she stood up, reached into her pocket and pulled out her two white satin gloves, putting them on slowly and turning so that the entire crew could see her.

"Who the hell do you think I am? Of course I wasn't going to touch Ace, you dumbasses. I was reaching for the man who saved him, to help pull him onto the deck!" And with that she burst out laughing again, at first making the crew nervous but eventually everyone was shouting and laughing so hard that Whitebeard himself had to come up onto the deck, upon where he found his mighty crew rolling around like animals, crying out in joy.

Kira stopped laughing for only a moment, in which she glanced around at the merry faces of her crew, and then at Ace, who was on the ground, rolling around with Thatch. _It isn't really that big of a deal,_ thought Kira, _But I suppose they're all just happy I didn't kill anyone._ Smiling, she felt the newly risen sun warm her face, and, for that moment, she was at total peace.


	2. Chapter 2

_**3 YEARS LATER**_

¨Mugiwara no Luffy, a rookie with a 300 million beri bounty. So, you're telling me that he's your little brother?¨ Kira asked, her eyebrow slowing rising. Ace nodded, a proud smile stretching across his face. Kira fought the urge to giggle. He was just so cute!

"Yep! Isn't he great? Although he's always getting into trouble. You wouldn't believe the kind of sh*t he's pulled. What an idiot." He rolled his dark eyes, scratching the back of his head. Noticing her stare, he gave her a cheeky grin and she lightly punched his arm, a small smile on her lips. She grasped the wanted poster of his brother in her hands, staring at Luffy's face. There was something about him that interested her, but she couldn't quite place it.  
"Luffy, huh…" She'd have to meet him someday, and ask him why he was so special.

"LUFFFYYYYY!" The cat burglar Nami, a woman with a bounty of 16 million beri, screamed. The bubbles of Sabaody Archipelago floated gently around her, a total contrast to the wrath oozing from her. _That IDIOT! What does he think he's doing, using ALL OF OUR MONEY to buy meat?! And now he's RUNNING from me?_

She stomped along the street, spotting an unsuspecting vender selling octopus fritters to passers by. Slamming the last bit of money she had on her down on the wooden cart, she ordered every octopus fritter he had, to go.

 _HA! Even if he's on the run, Luffy could NEVER resist the smell of 6 pounds of octopus fritters! This'll make him come fast._

She wasn't wrong. After about three minutes of waiting, she spotted Luffy beelining through the streets toward her, his nostrils flared to inhale the delicious scent of fried fritters. He didn't seem to remember, or care, that she was still mad at him as he stopped in front of her, already drooling over the crunchy snacks. He made to grab some but she smacked his hand away, scowling.

"None for you, mister. Last time I checked, _you_ wasted all of our money on meat, so _I'm_ wasting the rest on _myself._ " With that, she reached inside the bag and pulled out a handful of fritters, stuffing them in her mouth and chewing loudly. Luffy lurched as if she had punched him, grasping with shaking hands for any stray fritters that might have fallen out.

"N-nami… please… just one… I'm starving!" He pleaded, his puppy-dog eyes ripping her anger to shreds. She sighed, defeated.

"Oh, all right, fine. Ugh, you're so annoying." His happy yelp was muffled as he began to stuff his face, his rubber cheeks stretching to compensate the insane amount of food entering his mouth. He grinned happily, his face lighting up as his stomach began to fill. It only took about two minutes for the fritters to disappear completely and Luffy sighed, content.

What the two didn't notice was that while they had been immersed in their conversation, the rest of the people in the street had started bowing, pressing their foreheads to the grass and murmuring praises that lingered in the still air.

Nami raised her head, noticing the change in the atmosphere. She nudged Luffy, who looked at her dumbly.

The thud of heavy feet on the grass resounded in her ears as she turned, glancing behind her. Her positioning was less than ideal, as she and Luffy were smack-dab in the middle of the street, and they were the only ones still standing for some reason.

"Ummm… What are those pwesents doing in mah wayyyyy?" A garbled voice asked and the thudding stopped. The entire street gasped as Nami turned fully, now face-to-face with a Celestial Dragon.

 _Oh, sh*t._

"Mooooooove!" The Celestial Dragon, Saint Charloss, yelled, obviously not pleased that a commoner was standing in his line of sight. His slaves shifted as he drew a gun, the golden paint job reflecting on the bubbles floating past. Celestial Dragons were known for their cruelty and willingness to kill anything in there way, something that Nami had forgotten. It seemed that now she would pay the price.

"Nami! MOVE!" Luffy cried out as Saint Charloss fired, aiming for Nami's heart. Luffy, acting on instinct, tackled her to the ground, gasping as the bullet hit his side instead. He slumped over her, panting hard. Saint Charloss grinned, saying something about how it was his fate to die.

"Bullsh*t!" Nami screamed at him. She opened her mouth to say something else when Luffy collapsed, head lolling.

"Luffy? Luffy! What are you doing? Bullets don't affect a rubber man, get up!" She tried shoving him off of her but stopped when she felt warm, sticky liquid dripping onto her legs. Hand shaking, she gently touched his side, withdrawing immediately when Luffy winced.

"S-sorry...Nami...I think he had a-" He was cut short by Saint Charloss, who ordered a slave man to kick him off of Nami. Luffy grunted as the man's foot connected with his face and his body hit the ground, the impact increasing the blood flowing from his wound.

"Stupid boyy! Don't yoo know that I have Sea-Prism-Stone bullets? Now yoo'll dieee!" He raised the gun again, this time aiming for the imobile Luffy. Nami watched in horror and time seemed to slow down as the Celestial Dragon pulled the trigger, firing the bullet in slow motion. She began sobbing as Luffy gave her an apologetic smile, accepting his death. She sobbed harder when he mouthed _GO_ , because he was always risking his life, caring for his crew more than himself. Of course, _of course_ he'd want her to save herself, not him. He was such an idiot, she would _not_ leave him. Even if it meant her death.

"LUFFYYYYY!" She screamed, scrambling toward him as the bullet neared. She had to do something, _anything_ to save him, even if it was jumping in the way. She was replaceable in their crew, but he was not. He _had_ to become King Of The Pirates, otherwise their journey and dreams would be for naught.

She wasn't going to make it. The bullet neared his heart, ready to deliver the killing blow. Time stopped completely as she saw it rip through his shirt-

And then it was gone. Luffy gasped as he realized that his life was not yet over, and Nami sobbed in relief, throwing herself over him and crying into his shirt, ignoring the blood now soaking her hair.

"Hey, Nami, it's okay, don't cry. I'm okay now, see?" He weakly grabbed her chin, his face pale from blood loss. He smiled sweetly, reassuring her, and she realized the position they were in. She quickly shoved away from him, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Yooooo! What doo yoo think yoo are doing?" The Celestial Dragon cried, pointing a chubby gloved hand at the person standing in front of them.  
 _When did she get there? Who is she? Is she the one who stopped the bullet?_ Nami wondered, taking up a defensive position beside her captain. She drew her climate baton, pointing it at Saint Charloss. The mysterious woman threw out an arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"He's going to die if you don't get him to a doctor, girl. Get going." She said, glancing at Luffy who indeed looked like his grasp on life was slipping. Nami gasped and nodded, lifting Luffy up and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She winced as his weight settled on her. Glancing back at the woman, she smiled her thanks. The woman simply nodded, turning back toward the Celestial Dragon.

Opening her hand, she dropped the Sea-Prism-Stone bullet that was resting in her palm. The Saint's eyes widened; he recognized it as the bullet about to kill Luffy.

 _How did it get into her hand?_ He thought, now enraged that his prey escaped.

"Fine, then! I'll just have to kill yoo and get them later!" He screamed, firing his gun repeatedly.

The people still kneeling on the ground screamed as the bullets neared her, but the woman simply smirked. She moved, faster than the eye could see, and dodged every single one. She then appeared in front of Charloss, her fist stopping just before his face. The blowback ripped his bubble away and dented the ground about 100 feet behind him.

"Y-yoo...H-how could yoo...doo...t-this…" He stuttered as his eyes rolled back and he slumped. Two of his slaves hurried to catch him and the woman stepped back, unclenching her fist and turning way.

The people bowing began to stand as the slaves hurried the Celestial Dragon away, grasping at the mysterious woman and praying to whatever god they worshipped. A little girl pushed through the crowd surrounding the woman, clutching onto her shirt and pulling urgently.

"Miss, how did you do that? I thought the Celestial Dragons were all-powerful! Who _are_ you, miss?" She stared at the woman with clear brown eyes, brimming with intelligence. Her golden hair hung in curls around her shoulders and she was missing her two front teeth.

The woman smiled, her beauty almost blinding the people around her.

"My name is Kira, honey, and I'm just a girl looking for her boyfriend."


	3. Chapter 3

"Luffy, come on, you can make it! We're almost there, don't worry, you're okay, it's okay…" Nami whispered as they trudged through the Sabaody trees, making their way toward tree number 41, where the Thousand Sunny was parked.

"N-Nami? Why a-are we here? Chopper isn't at Sunny, he's in town…" Luffy muttered, growing heavier by the second as his body submitted to the pain.

"Shhh… It's okay, Luffy. W-we don't have time to take you to a doctor… or find Chopper… so I-I'll try to stop the bleeding for now, okay?" She winced as he tried to nod, his head slumping onto her shoulder. He was pale, so, so pale. She'd never seen him like this; it was scaring her more than she could bare.

Gritting her teeth, Nami raised her head, staring up at the deck of the Thousand Sunny. If Luffy was okay, he could've just stretched his arms and pulled them up, however that obviously wasn't going to happen.

 _Okay, Nami, how are you going to do this? You can't use the baton; Luffy can't take the impact of hitting the deck. What can you-_

She was interrupted when a female voice, one she recognized from earlier, said, "Need some help?"

Nami turned, gasping at the woman. She was gorgeous, more beautiful than, she had to admit, even herself. The woman stopped in front of her, her auburn hair flecked with gold in the midday sun. Her stunning blue eyes scanned the scene in front of her, taking in the situation.

Now, Nami was a far cry from ugly with her summer-orange locks and chocolate-brown eyes, but this woman was something else. Nami was glad Luffy chose this moment to pass out, otherwise she would have knocked him out herself.

 _Not that he cares about that kind of thing,_ she thought, internally rolling her eyes before focusing back on the problem at hand.

"Can you get him up on our ship?" Nami asked. She assumed that because the woman had caught a bullet, and escaped alive from fighting a Celestial Dragon, (who really weren't that powerful, but still) that she could get Luffy on the ship without too much trouble.

The woman gave her a small smile before raising her hand, extending her pointer finger toward Luffy's body. She then slowly lifted her finger to point to the deck and, to Nami's surprise, Luffy's body followed it, floating gently through the air and landing with a soft thud upon the grass. Nami screamed as she felt her body lift into the air, and she glared at the woman, wishing she had warned her.

Instead of picking a fight, however, she studied the woman's hands. They were gloved in white satin, and underneath she could see strange markings inked in black. They seemed to tell a story; sketched across her hands and up her arms were whorls and shapes that melded together in a pattern that seemed to shift and move as if it were alive.

The woman set her down on the deck and then, surprising Nami once more, _jumped_ and landed gracefully before smoothly standing. She reminded Nami of a predatory cat, unequaled in grace and fatality. Nami didn't know what it was, but the woman seemed to radiate power; it was like standing near a bomb seconds away from blowing. Unfortunately, the woman was Nami's only help in saving Luffy's life, so she'd have to trust her for now. It didn't mean she wasn't wary, though.

The woman stepped around Luffy's body and headed into the medical bay, her hips swishing as her heels softly clicked on the thin grass of the deck. She pushed the door open and headed inside, muttering something about bandages and alcohol.

 _How does she even know where that is? Who IS this lady?_ Nami thought as she walked over to Luffy. He was still unconscious. She waited until she heard a 'Okay! Bring him in!' before she lifted him under his arms and staggered over to the woman.

They managed to get him inside before flopping him on the medical bed, Luffy grunting in pain as he hit the sheets. The woman was immediately there with clean bandages and rubbing alcohol. She snapped her fingers and a bit floated over and placed itself in between Luffy's teeth.

"Bite it." She ordered. Nami opened her mouth to comment that Luffy was in fact unconscious but she stopped as Luffy bit down, hard.

 _How the heck did she know he was conscious?_ Nami shook her head, deciding not to ponder her abnormal situation. She jumped as the woman grasped her arm, the fabric of her satin gloves brushing against Nami's skin. The woman dragged her outside the Med. Bay, closing the door behind them.

"Look. I need to get the bullet out, and I can't work with you in there- I have a feeling Luffy will try to act tough in front of a member of his crew and not tell me how much pain he's really in. I know we just met but you're going to have to trust me."

Nami nodded. She knew that she should insist to stay with her captain, especially if he's defenceless, but she had a feeling that this woman knew what she was doing and at least for now she had to trust her.

"Okay. But if you do _anything_ other than help him, I'll kill you." The woman simply smiled, turning to head back into the infirmary.

Nami clenched her fists at her sides, fighting the urge to go after her. _He'll be okay, he's fine, Nami, get a hold of yourself. You have to be composed when he wakes up; he'll blame himself if you worry._ But despite the little pep talk as soon as the door closed behind the woman Nami slumped to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she began to sob. She cried until the sun faded into darkness and night fell, she cried until her crew began returning.

"NAMI-SWANNNNN!" The cook of their crew, Sanji, cried. Nami winced as he jumped onto the deck, turning her face away from him. He was such a ladies man, flirting with every woman he saw and, if he ever saw one cry, he'd kill whoever made them. She couldn't let him see her then, because technically it was Luffy who was making her cry. She didn't want him to come to further harm from the wrath of the love-cook.

"Nami-Swan? Are you okay, my princess?" He swooped to kiss her hand and she yanked it from his grasp, muttering "Not now, Sanji. I can't-I can't deal with this right now." Sanji stepped back immediately; he might be a flirt but he knew the limits.

"I'll...make you a night-time snack." He said, walking into the kitchen. Nami sighed in relief; if Sanji had seen the woman they had on board he probably would of died, literally. He had a history of getting nosebleeds around pretty ladies, and that woman was far more than pretty.

Nami was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a grunt and a thud, meaning that her first mate had come back.

"Zoro...Is that you?" She asked, hesitant. He glared at her, rolling his eyes.

"Who else would it be?" She smirked, forgetting her pain for a second.

"Well...You found your way back here. I couldn't know for sure if it was really you." The swordsman was renowned for his terrible sense of direction; he couldn't follow someone in a straight line. She smiled lightly as he huffed and went into the men's quarters slamming the door behind him.

Now that he was gone she was alone again, and her sadness came back in a crushing wave of despair. It _was_ her fault, and hers alone. If she had only moved Luffy wouldn't have had to save her and-

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami started as Luffy screamed; the woman must've just removed the bullet. Zoro and Sanji crashed out of the rooms and onto the deck, demanding to know what was going on, but no one was there. Nami had kicked open the infirmary door the moment Luffy screamed. She couldn't believe what she saw.

In front of her was the woman, washing and drying her white-satin gloves. Luffy lay on the bed, now sleeping peacefully. The bullet wound on his side was nowhere to be seen; his skin was as smooth as if it had never existed.

"Ah, please excuse the scream. I had to removed the bullet and stitch the skin together at the same time so he didn't lose any more blood; it's painful but effective." She said, patting Luffy on the head. He rolled over, snoring slightly. Nami noticed that she had slipped on her gloves before touching him. _What's that about?_

"Who the hell are you?!" Zoro snapped, his left hand already drawing one of his swords. Sanji was on the floor, his eyes replaced by large hearts. Blood was leaking from his nose and Nami rolled her eyes as he muttered, "Mellorine, mellorine!" while giggling pervertedly. The woman eyed him and smiled gently; she seemed to have experience with this kind of reaction.

"Sorry to intrude, my name is Rouge D. Kira." She motioned for everyone to leave Luffy and stepped out onto the deck. Zoro, still wary, sheathed his sword but did not release the handle. Sanji was now unconscious from blood loss, still muttering in his sleep. The woman, now named Kira, lightly stepped over his body and turned back toward Nami. She seemed to consider her next words carefully, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"Miss Nami… do you know-no, does your _captain_ know about...what's happening right now?" She seemed to tread lightly, as if the subject upset her greatly. Nami racked her brain, searching for anything important Luffy had told her recently. She shook her head, coming up with nothing.

Kira seemed to deflate, a small sigh escaping her lips. Neither Zoro or Nami missed the remorseful look that flashed across her face before she once again smiled pleasantly.

"Ah...I see. Then it's best we wake your captain, he needs to hear this." She said, glancing pointedly toward the first mate. Zoro rolled his eyes and entered the sick bay. There was a thump and a yelp and then some whining before both Zoro and Luffy walked out, the latter now rubbing a lump forming on his head. He then noticed Kira and immediately grinned, forgetting the small hurt.

"Hey, you're the pretty lady that helped us! Thanks!" He laughed, and Nami felt a vein throb in her forehead at the word 'Pretty'. She decided to be nice and not punch him, however, only because Zoro would catch on that she was jealous. She was distracted from her thoughts as Luffy made to scamper to the kitchen only to be stopped by Kira, who once again had a forlorn look on her face. All three of them paused at this, noting the sadness emanating from her. Even Sanji woke up, sensing the mood.

"I have something to tell you.." She started, wincing slightly. Luffy cocked his head to the side, his normally goofy grin replaced with a serious frown.

"What's wrong, Lady? Is everything okay?" She winced more at Luffy's words, bringing her hands up to rub her temples.

"To be honest, no, and I'm only telling you this because it affects you directly, Monkey D. Luffy. Actually, he didn't want me to say anything, but I felt you needed to know so I sought you out…" She trailed off as if trying to wrap her brain around what she had to say next.

"Well? Spit it out already, woman." Zoro said, narrowly avoiding Sanji's kick.

"That's no way to talk to a lady!" They began fighting like always and Nami fought the urge to punch them both. They stopped mid-fight, shock overcoming their fear, when Kira continued speaking. Luffy's eyes widened and Nami gasped, covering her mouth.

"It's your brother, Portgas D. Ace. He was...captured by the navy. He's scheduled to be executed in twelve days."

Kira stared at the circle of people around her, their eyes boring into her, waiting. All nine of the Straw Hat pirates were assembled and waiting for her to explain. She took in a breath and began, forcing her voice to stop shaking.

"Four months ago a man named Marshall D. Teach committed a heinous crime on our ship, the Moby Dick. My captain, Whitebeard, was furious and when Ace offered to go make Teach, now known as 'Blackbeard', pay, Whitebeard didn't refuse." She was interrupted by a reindeer(?), who appeared to be the ships doctor.  
"What crime did Blackbeard commit?" He asked innocently, his little nose twitching. Kira felt her anger rise up again, washing over her in waves. That horrible night flashed before her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time and when she spoke her voice sounded gravelly, like something was caught in her throat.

"He murdered a crewmate in cold blood and stole his Devil Fruit. That specific crewmate happened to be both Ace and I's very close friend Thatch. Thatch found the Devil Fruit on his last voyage, and on our ship the rules are whoever finds it gets to eat it. What we didn't know was that Blackbeard had been searching for that specific Devil Fruit his entire life and would murder even a friend to get his hands on it."

Luffy raised his hand and Kira giggled slightly at his childish antics.

"Yes, Luffy?"

"I remember Ace telling us about hunting Blackbeard the last time we saw him. He said that he was gonna kick his ass, and he looked pretty serious."

Kira's head bowed slightly in what almost looked like shame. "Ace and Blackbeard met and fought. Ace lost and Blackbeard traded him into the Navy. Now the Navy wants to publicly execute him for two reasons. One, he is the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Killing him will show that the Navy is stronger than Whitebeard. Second, he is-"

"-Gold Roger's son," Luffy finished, his eyes shadowed by his hat.


	4. Chapter 4

Three days after meeting Kira, the Straw Hats were split up. Bartholomew Kuma, a warlord of the World Government, had strangely targeted the Straw Hats, sending them off to who knows where. Monkey D. Luffy was sent to the island of women, where he met Boa Hancock, another warlord, and Margaret, now a good friend of his. He forgot all about Ace and his execution after the trauma of losing his crew and the excitement of landing on Amazon Lily, but he was harshly reminded four nights later while reading the world news.

He skimmed over the paper; he didn't really like to read, but his eyes stopped on one specific headline:

PORTGAS D. ACE: FIVE DAYS LEFT TO LIVE

"EHHHHHHH?!" Luffy's scream echoed throughout Amazon Lily, waking almost every sleeping woman and child. He jumped up, a sudden panic overtaking him. After Kira talked to them, he and his crew decided that they would leave for Marineford in ten days, hoping to intercept the ship taking Ace from Impel Down and giving them time to prepare. It was simple: they would seize the ship, rescue Ace and avoid the war altogether, without risking any of their lives. Unfortunately, now that Luffy was alone, the success rate of his mission plummeted. Not only that, he had promised to meet his crew back at the Sabaody Archipelago in three days!

 _Sorry guys!_ He thought, turning as Boa Hancock rushed out of her room.

 _I won't be able to make it to Sabaody in three days. I have to go save Ace, no matter what! Maybe I can…_

"Hey, Hammock!" He said suddenly, interrupting her constant stream of questions. She had heard him scream and was now panicking, but she shut up once he started speaking.

"Do you think… you can get me into Impel Down?"

Kira sat in silence, her only company the waves sloppily hitting the sides of her little boat. She was lost in thought, mindlessly staring at the wooden walls opposing her.

Five days...five days before she would have to end lives. Five days before her love's life would be put in mortal danger, five days before she would have to witness her crewmates getting slaughtered by navy dogs. Gritting her teeth, she thought back to all the times she had with Ace. He was the reason it was all worth it, the killing, the bombs, the blood. For him she would fight and kill and kill, and she had a feeling her crew felt the same way. His smile, laugh, the way he made her feel like she was the center of his world, all of that gave her the strength to face war and smile. She knew that this war was different, this was a war between titans, gods and beasts.

And for him, she would become the monster to rival them all.

FIVE DAYS LATER

The silence was killing him. Not only were the sea-prism-stone shackles chafing his wrists, the navy men had taken the opportunity to beat him one last time before walking him up the steps and through that damning door. Now on his knees before the world, Portgas D. Ace frowned, shifting to find a more comfortable position. He grimaced when he couldn't move.

Sengoku glanced down at him, frowning deeply. As the head admiral it was his job to stand next to the prisoner and make sure the execution was carried out, sort of like a last defence. He'd like to kill the boy now and avoid the war altogether, but the navy was ordered to follow a specific time schedule and execute him at the planned time. He forced himself to look away from the condemned prisoner next to him. He couldn't afford to feel pity here, even if Ace was only twenty. It was his choice to become a pirate, not to mention his heritage. Gol D. Roger's son could not be allowed to live in this world no matter the cost. The Pirate King's bloodline must be wiped out.

As he stared out at the thousands of navy men lined up below him, Sengoku breathed in deeply. The tension and anticipation made the air thick and he knew his men were nervous. To be honest, he was too. But only a little bit. It was the Whitebeard alliance they were facing after all, a group of some of the most powerful pirates in the world combined to create an unstoppable force to fight the entire navy. Not to mention Whitebeard himself. He wasn't the world's strongest for nothing.

Sengoku was interrupted from his thoughts when Ace gasped, his eyes widening. He was staring at the time; it was four hours to his execution. The Whitebeard pirates should arrive soon, marking the start of the most devastating war in history.

Ace began muttering, his head hanging low. Sengoku winced slightly as he heard Ace's broken words.

"Guys… please don't come. It's my fault for being captured, you don't have to risk everyone… Pops is too old and everyone else...please don't die for me, it's not worth it." A tear slid down his cheek and splattered onto the execution platform.

Sengoku was about to say something when the air changed. Something big was coming and the navy men could all sense it. The three Admirals exchanged glances and stood as one. The Vice Admirals also stood, and the entire army tensed.

A slight rumbling began and a huge shadow formed under the surface of the navy bay. The shadow grew larger and slowly an object began to take form before breaking the surface with a great splash.

Ace gasped again, this time in pain as the great ship, the Moby Dick, floated in front of the massive navy force.

"They got in underwater! Everyone, change positions!" The navy men began sprinting to different stations, rushing to re-organized and prepare for this surprise entrance.

Ace started as Sengoku began chuckling.

"He does know how to make an entrance, that Whitebeard. We were totally unprepared. He got us." Ace smiled slightly as Sengoku began relaying orders in hopes of turning the tides.

He never got the chance. Three other massive ships surfaced on the other sides of the Moby Dick, and shadows of roughly forty others appeared in the fog behind them. This was the Whitebeard alliance, this was what the world feared.

The navy began panicking and trying to raise their huge wall created to block enemy ships. If they got the entire wall up, the Whitebeard pirates would have to break though it and by then Ace would be dead.

The wall creaked and groaned, it's massive size making it move slowly. The sections moved up one by one, until only the center section was left unblocked. Ace squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the slam of the wall becoming complete, sealing his fate.

The slam never came. The wall section just… stopped, leaving a huge opening for the Whitebeard pirates to get to the battlefield. Sengoku began screaming orders into his transponder snail, asking what the hell was wrong with the wall. Nothing was near it, nobody was touching it. It wasn't malfunctioning either; this wall was Dr. Vegapunk's invention, after all.

Ace took in a shuddering breath. He knew exactly what was wrong. There was only one person who could do something like this, one person who was so powerful they could stop the wall without even touching it. Ace grinned, shaking his head slightly. Sengoku, noticing this, grabbed his shoulder, twisting him violently toward him.

"What is this, Ace?! Whitebeard's power doesn't work like that, what happened?!" Ace just smiled.

"Sengoku… It appears you've underestimated my crew." He glanced back at the battlefield and beyond it, to his ship. He noticed his captain, Whitebeard, standing on the bow of the Moby Dick, watching the wall groan against the unknown force holding it down. Next to his massive build a smaller form was barely visible, but Ace knew who it was. After all, she was the one who stopped the wall.

Kira looked up from the ship, where she had been focusing on keeping the wall down. It didn't take much effort but still required concentration. Even from the distance she could make out Ace's kneeling figure, up on the execution platform. They made eye contact and Kira smiled before turning to Whitebeard.

"Well, Pops? Are you ready?" She asked and Whitebeard laughed.

"I am Whitebeard! I was born ready." She smiled again and raised her hand. The entire navy seemed to pause; even Sengoku stopped talking into his transponder snail to watch the woman on the Moby Dick. The video transponder snails, now recording, turned to her, focusing on her outstretched hand. The entire world was watching now, waiting in anticipation.

Kira breathed in deeply, savoring the calm before the storm. Then, steeling herself, she sliced her hand down, cutting through the air.

And so the greatest war in history began.

I'm coming for you, Ace.


	5. Chapter 5

Hiiii everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating in a while, I had to take care of some stuff this past month and didn't have time to write more ugh. Anyway, I'm back now so here ya go! (Also sorry for the shorter chapter but I wanted to explain stuff)

"The Mani-Mani fruit. One of the most powerful and deadly devil fruits in the world. It allows its user to manipulate almost anything, including people. The size of the object that's being manipulated doesn't affect the user, however the object (people, weapons, structures, etc.) is moving it's harder to manipulate because the user also has to manipulate the force around it. It sounds complicated but it gets easier as you get used to it."

Kira sat on the bed, her right thigh pressing against Marco's, who was sitting next to her. On her lap rested a large, thick book titled: **A PIRATES GUIDE TO DEVIL FRUITS AND THEIR USES**.

"That's awesome! Man, with a fruit like that you could do anything!" Marco said, his voice bubbling with excitement and his eyes shining. Kira glanced at him briefly, chuckling, before returning her attention to the book. For some reason, this particular fruit deeply intrigued her. It seemed to make the user invincible, but she knew that wasn't really the case.

"Marco, listen to this." She nudged him to get his attention, snapping him out of his devil fruit fantasies.

Kira cleared her throat, scanning the page for the paragraph she was looking for.

"Ah, here it is." She began to read, her eyes widening. "Although the Mani-Mani fruit is indeed incredibly powerful, it has many serious drawbacks to using it. For starters, there is a limit to how much one can manipulate. The amount and the range depends on the person's bodily and mental health. For example, if the user is extremely fit and intelligent they would be able to release more power for a longer period of time. This fruit drains the user's stamina too, so much so that if you use it too much it doesn't matter how healthy the user is, the user will pass out or, in worst case scenario, die. Also, if overused enough, the users physical body will start to break under the strain. Another drawback is that in order to manipulate living things, like people, the user has to touch bare skin. This fruits powers are hindered if an attacker is fully clothed, or if the user cannot get close enough to touch them. Also, the fruit is so powerful that the user will not be able to control it fully, no matter how much they train. This means that even if it's not intentional, the user will control people by simply brushing up against them. To prevent this, wearing gloves can help.

One of the powers of this fruit is that when manipulating a person the user can also use that persons devil fruit. For example, if the user were to touch someone with an ice ability, the user could also use that power. However, the user can only use the other person's power for up to five minutes, and the user can only use one other devil fruit at a time. This means that while the use may be controlling two people at once who both have devil fruit powers, the user can only use one of those powers at a time. Also, using someone else's devil fruit power is extremely taxing for the Mani-Mani fruit user. Doing it more than once is considered very dangerous and may even result in severe physical injuries or even death.

Even with all those drawbacks, this fruit is still amazing. It can do almost anything, including manipulating the elements (mostly air), people, surroundings and more. Also, the fruits power levels rise with emotions. If the user is feeling angry or upset, the fruit reacts and power levels rise dramatically.

Because the Mani-Mani fruit is not a logia type, the user can normally use haki along with its powers. It actually enhances a person's Conquerors Haki, if the user has it.

Overall, this devil fruit is dangerous, for enemies and the user alike. If the person reading this is searching for this fruit, be careful. With much power comes much responsibility, and if this power is abused many lives may end, including your own."

Kira and Marco were silent for almost a full minute after she finished, dumbstruck. They both stared at the fading picture of the fruit, the ink grey and blotchy. Finally Kira spoke, her voice raw and scratchy.

" I-I think...I want this devil fruit. I'll find it and use it, Marco, and then I'll really be able to protect everyone." Marco stared at her, trying to read her face, but all he could see was cold determination.

 _I'm going to protect everyone and make Whitebeard the King of the Pirates. Just you wait, Shanks!_


	6. Chapter 6

Oh my goodness. It's been FIVE MONTHS since I've updated! I'm so so sorry that I haven't updated in so long, I've been super busy with school and sports and haven't really had the time to continue this story so far. I'm hoping to update more frequently from now on, please bear with me. Ok, now back to the story!

The screams of dying men were deafening, even from the distance of the Moby Dick. Kira grimaced as she felt Whitebeard tense beside her, preparing to launch himself into the fray below. Kira herself wouldn't enter the battle until the very last second; she had to hold the wall for the rest of the Whitebeard alliance.

That meant, as of now, she could only watch as her crew mates clashed with the navy, as blood splattered the pavement of the navy grounds, as cries rose from the wounded below and filled her ears until she could bare it no more.

 _Only one more ship. Then I can release the wall and go down there myself._ She was already panting; this was not a good sign, however nothing hurt or ached yet.

The last ship to enter the battle unleashed itself upon the navy men and Kira grinned; it was her turn.

She glanced at Whitebeard, who was currently blowing back navy men from the Moby Dick with a nod of his head. He met her gaze, if only for a second, and gave the slightest nod before turning back to his opponents. Kira turned her head to face Ace, who was already staring at her. He began violently shaking his head; she could see the panic in his eyes as she smiled.

 _It's okay, Ace._ She mouthed, watching him turn his head. His eyes were now fixed upward, on the sky. Kira, perplexed, followed his gaze. To her amazement, something was falling, and falling _fast._ As it hurtled toward the ground it's shape became more clear, and Kira realised it was a ship, and the little figures falling with it were _men._

"AHHHHHH!" The men, now close enough to be identifiable as prisoners from Impel Down, screamed as they plummeted. They were going to smash into the ice field, created by Admiral Aokiji to prevent the Whitebeard pirates from moving closer. The ice was thick enough to be hard as the ground itself; the men were going to die.

One man in particular wasn't in prison rags. Both Kira and Ace started in surprise as the man-no, the boy, came into view, his yellow vest flapping in the wind. He was screaming too, and his voice resonated throughout the battlefield.

"ACEEEEEEEEE!" Kira's grin widened as his cry stunned the Navy and all eyes turned to him. Falling with him were a clown, a man she recognized as Crocodile, the former warlord, and a large man with a purple afro. She glanced back at Ace, who was shaking.

"LUFFY!" Ace screamed, his voice raw. Kira winced; this was exactly what he had been hoping to avoid. He didn't want his little brother on this battlefield, fighting for him. He wanted him to have his own adventures, with his own friends.

But first, Ace wanted someone to stop them from falling. There was no point to yelling at Luffy if he dies, smashing into Aokiji's ice with his friends.

Ace whipped his head around, searching for Kira. She was already looking at him, waiting. Her arms were crossed, her stance loose and unbothered. She smirked at him, anticipating his next words. A small smile crossed his face for the first time since Alabasta, and he opened his mouth.

"KIRA!" His voice broke, and the coppery tang of blood coated the back of his throat. He coughed before shouting once again.

"SAVE THEM!" With this, the eyes of Marineford turned to the woman on the ship, the woman who had signaled this war, waiting to see what she was going to do. She waved at Ace before saluting him.

Then she was gone, reappearing directly below the falling ship.

"HEY! LADY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Luffy, spotting her, yelled. She looked up at him, squinting her eyes.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you're finally here. Interesting…" She murmured before removing the glove on her left hand and raising her arm upward. Opening her hand, she flattened her palm toward the sky as if she was holding something. She lurched before bending her knees slightly, steadying herself as she thrusted her arm up forcefully.

Marineford itself seemed to still as as the ship slowly stopped its descent before stilling in midair along with the men. Kira groaned under the weight of it all and she felt her arm beginning to ache. The power of the Mani-Mani fruit thrummed throughout her body, crackling at her fingertips. She gently began to lower her arm; to the Navy's amazement, the ship moved with it.

She set the men and the ship down to her left before turning back to Ace, flashing him a grin and a thumbs up. His head flopped back toward the ground, his neck sore from straining it, as he breathed a sigh of relief. A small smile graced his lips and he raised his eyes to meet hers, a silent thanks for saving his brother.

Slipping her glove back on, she began walking toward the men, who were recovering from their near-death experience. A tug on the back of her shirt stopped her, however, and she turned to see a hand, connected to a long, stretched arm gripping her. She grinned, knowing who that arm belonged to.

"KIRAAAAA!" Luffy's shout rang out as he rocketed himself straight into her, propelled by his outstretched arm.

"Luffy! What the fu-" She started, removing herself from the rubble caused by their crash. Marines and pirates alike stopped their fighting to watch this odd scene before them.

"Kira! Hey! Thanks for saving us, we almost died there! Shishishishi!" Luffy's grin split his face, illuminating his features as he laughed.

Kira rolled her eyes at his goofy manner. _Why can't he take these things seriously?_ Sighing, she pushed him off of her and stood, brushing herself off before pounding him on the head.

"Don't you know not to crash into a lady?" She scolded, turning away from him. He laughed again, standing up as well.

"Sorry, Kira." He said, and as Kira turned to face him again he was gone, rocketing himself at the Moby Dick where Whitebeard still stood. She sighed before facing the execution platform, taking in the scene before her. The marines and pirates before her had resumed fighting, some were even brave enough to charge her. _Brave, or just stupid?_ She wondered as she dodged their swords and bullets before blowing them away with a flick of her fingers.

"H-how can she do that? It's like she's reading our moves!" One man stuttered, stumbling backwards.

"Yeah, it's called Haki, dumbass, try it some time." She said, hardening her fist to punch through the man's shield and into his gut. He coughed before collapsing at her feet.

She continued her steady march to the platform, knocking away soldiers left and right. She knew she should probably hurry; time was running out, but she wanted to savor the feeling of putting these navy dogs in their place. A commotion caught her eye and she turned, spotting Luffy and Whitebeard conversing on the Moby Dick. The former talking as if to a normal person, while the latter was highly amused. The men from Impel Down were in utter shock as Luffy, ignoring Whitebeard's intimidating aura, declared that _he_ was going to be the Pirate King, not Whitebeard. Kira watched as Whitebeard laughed; this boy was entertaining and as lively as Ace had said. Whitebeard liked him.

"Kira! See to it that he lives." Whitebeard thundered, gesturing to Luffy, who had jumped from the ship and was now running toward Ace. Kira nodded before altering her course to intercept Luffy's. She would protect him with her life, and together they would free Ace. They had to, because she wouldn't allow anything otherwise.

As she reached his side Luffy sped up to match her pace, grinning all the while. The navy did everything they could to stop them, but it was in vain. Kira looked up at Ace, expecting to see him grinning, but found only suffering in his eyes as Luffy received yet another small wound from a marine. Ace breathed in deeply, readying himself to shout.

"KEEP AWAY, LUFFY!" He screamed, shocking everyone in Marineford. Luffy stared up at him in shock as Kira punched a marine in their way.

"You oughta know already! You and I are both pirates! You should be out sailing however you want! Me, I have my own adventures! Me, I have my own friends!" Kira smiled, ducking her head as Ace continued.

"You have no right to interfere with that! A weakling like you coming to rescue me… do you think I'm gonna let that happen?! That would be too humiliating!" Ace panted as he focused on Luffy, who was still running at Kira's side toward the platform. He shook his head, watching his little brother push back four marines. Luffy was gritting his teeth in his effort, his eyes fierce as he punched one in the face.

"Go back, Luffy! Why did you come?!" Ace winced, squeezing his eyes shut. _Please, Luffy. I don't want to take you with me!_

Kira now looked to Luffy, watching for his reaction. He looked angry, like Ace had insulted him. He breathed in deeply, preparing to shout back.  
"I'm… YOUR BROTHER!" He screamed and Ace gasped before clamping his mouth shut again. The marines started, shocked by this revelation. Kira grimaced as once again, the navy was focused solely on Luffy.

 _There's no way their going to let him go now. If they didn't already have reason enough to kill him, with him being Dragon's son and all, a close relationship with the son of the Pirate King will do it._

Her frown deepened as Sengoku nodded to Kizaru, Akainu and Aokiji, who stood, waiting.

"Kira!" Luffy jerked his chin toward the upcoming wall. The section Kira had held back was full of pirates fighting; it would waste time to go through it. They needed to go over it.

"Luffy! Head toward Jinbi, he can get you over the wall!" She said, already veering away from him.

"What about you, Kira?" He called, signaling Jinbi.

Kira grinned; the plan she and Whitebeard had worked out was going perfectly, with the only mishap so far being the falling ship. She gave Luffy a small wave and saluted Jinbi before turning back to her destination.

"Don't worry about me, Luffy. I'll get over it." She laughed, finding his concerns silly.

"No, I'm not worried about that. All three Admirals are still on the other side of that wall." Luffy shouted, gesturing to emphasize his point.

Kira's grin stretched wider, her white teeth flashing.

"I'll handle them, Luffy. You focus on saving Ace." Luffy nodded before sprinting toward Jinbi, who was ready and waiting to shoot him over the wall.

Kira, stopping about 50 feet from the wall, crouched so low her knees brushed the ground. Once again the Mani-Mani's power hummed in the air, which was currently blowing itself around her. The marines watched in wonder as she shot upward in one giant leap. She twisted gracefully in the air, over the wall, before slamming down onto the ground on the other side. The pavement below her cracked under the pressure as she shot forward again, this time propelling herself directly at Ace.

She was twenty feet away when she slammed face-first into an ice wall. She fell backwards, smashing into the ground below her.

Kira groaned, holding her now-bloody nose as she stood up. Her vision was slightly compromised from the collision, but she could make out the silhouettes of three massive men standing before her.

"Rouge D. Kira. We cannot allow you to go further than this. You will be executed here, where you stand, for the world to see. Say your prayers." The voice of Akainu grated against her ears and she chuckled slightly as her vision began to refocus.

Kizaru, Aokiji and Akainu stood before her like the grim reapers themselves, staring down at her as she wiped the blood from her nose away, creating a streak across her cheek. She met each of their eyes and smirked, placing her hands into her pockets. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Jinbi launch Luffy over the wall in an arrow of water.

The navy men nearby began to still their fighting, noticing the three admirals tower over one woman. The marines and pirates alike stopped, staring at the four people standing before the execution platform. The aura leaking off of them was incredible; without even trying, many of the men standing near them fainted from the surge of power.

Ace strained at his shackles until they chafed his wrists. He winced, the skin raw and bloody, but continued to pull as his girlfriend stood definitely before the three most powerful units in the navy. He knew she was strong, but taking on all three was suicide and she knew it. Even so, a small spark of hope lit in his heart as Kira's grin never faltered. On the other side of the battlefield, Ace could see Luffy sprinting toward him, mowing down the marines standing in his way. Both he and Luffy snapped back to Kira, however, when the air changed. It became charged, like the calm before the storm. A strong wind picked up and blew around the admirals and Kira, whipping up dust and debris. Kira's hair blew around her face as her stare down with the admirals continued. The wind grew more intense, now blowing over the entire battlefield as the clouds above stirred. Ace had to squint his eyes to see Kira through the storm created by the clashing of Conquerors Haki. All four people had immense Color of the Supreme King, and when it met like this even the heavens shifted.

The storm was now almost unbearable, marines and pirates alike were blown backwards, and Luffy and the members of Whitebeard's crew had to grab hold of something sturdy to keep their ground. Whitebeard himself laughed at the massive display of power before him.

"You show 'em, Kira." He muttered, blasting through another line of navy men. He was worried, though, that Kira was reaching her limit. She didn't show any signs of physical pain, which eased his mind slightly. The storm intensified again, blotting out what little sunlight escaped through the clouds.

Then it stopped. The wind dissipated, leaving everything still and silent. The eyes of the world were focused solely on the only four people left standing within a mile radius of the storm's eye. Kira smiled as she surveyed the damage caused by her initial clash with the admirals. They waited before her; neither sides had backed down. Then, as one, the admirals slipped into a fighting stance.

Kira rallied her power, savoring the way it flowed through her.

The sky itself seemed to split as Rouge D. Kira unleashed herself upon them.

Hey guys! I know, I know, I didn't put Oars in the story, I'm sorry. I wanted to demonstrate Kira's power early to kind give y'all an idea of what she can do. Like I said before, I'll try to update a little more frequently from now on. Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7

_Crack._

Kira jolted as a new blaze of pain shot through her body. Panting, she dodged Kizaru and punched Aokiji in the face while blocking Akainu with her leg. He grinned, catching it in his hand. It was oozing magma. Kira bit back a scream as it burned through her pants and sizzled on her haki-covered leg.

 _Snap._

Gritting her teeth, Kira flipped sideways, away from the admirals. She needed a break, if even for a moment. She meant to land in a crouch, on her feet, but she misjudged her distance and landed on her ankle.

 _Crunch._

She groaned, rolling onto her side. _No, Kira, get up. Get. Up._ She crawled to her feet, spitting blood as she stood. Keen eyes searched her opponents, assessing their weaknesses and strengths for what felt to be the millionth time.

Nothing had changed, except Kizaru had a bloody nose, Aokiji had a large gash above his eye and Akainu had a split lip. Oh, and a broken rib. She grinned; giving Akainu a broken rib, seeing the shock on his face, made it all worth it. If only she could-

 _CRACK!_

Kira gasped as Kizaru's foot connected with her face. Akainu was behind her, waiting. If she continued on her course she would run right into his waiting fist, already boiling with magma. She didn't have the strength to cover her entire back with haki; she was already exhausted to the point where throwing even a regular punch hurt.

Glancing to her left, she saw Luffy, along with her fellow division commanders, nearing the execution platform. She smirked; her plan had worked beautifully. Raising her arm, she shoved Akainu back with the help of the Mani-Mani fruit, summoning its power through her fingertips. Akainu sputtered as her power slammed him in the gut, shifting his broken rib. Kira allowed herself a moments satisfaction before Aokiji and Kizaru claimed her attention once more.

On the execution platform, Portgas D. Ace was crying. Sobs racked his body as Kira and the three admirals fought, their blows nothing more than blurs to the untrained eye, but Ace could see where they landed. Most of them were on Kira. Not to mention across the battlefield was his stupid little brother, still charging for him. If only they would leave! All Ace wanted was to pay for his mistakes peacefully, so that no one else had to die. Was that so much to ask? Why did everyone go to such lengths to save him? He shouldn't have been born in the first place, much less lived for this long.

"Let's just hurry and execute him now." Ace's head snapped up as Sengoku's voice sliced through his thoughts. He met his eyes and Sengoku looked away, almost as if he felt guilty. Ace flinched as the two men beside him, the executioners, raised their swords, the blades glinting.

 _Finally. If they kill me now, all of this will be over and Kira and Luffy and Pops can leave. Just forget about me, guys, and live on. This was my fate anyway, thanks to my useless dad._

"Do it, now!" Sengoku's order rang throughout Marineford. Both Luffy and Kira looked up from their fights to watch in horror as the blades swung through the air, pining for Ace's neck.

"WAIT-" Kira began, but Kizaru took advantage of her hesitation, piercing through her shoulder with a lazerbeam. Kira sunk to her knees, gripping her bloody shoulder in agony. She attempted to use her power to stop the blades but pain racked through her entire body and she slumped to the ground, numb. She couldn't do anything but watch as the blades drew hauntingly near to Ace's neck, ready to end his life.

 _...Shit._ Kira groaned and shut her eyes, drawing up the last of her power. She ignored the bones snapping throughout her body and prepared to use her devil fruit one last time.

She didn't need to. Before Kira could do anything, a scream rattled across the battlefield, followed by an extremely strong wave of Conquerors Haki.

"STOP ITTTTT!" Luffy's cry blasted through Kira's numbness, shaking her awake. She forced her body to cooperate, stumbling to her feet as she watched the executioners fall, knocked out by Luffy's massive display of haki. Ace's surprise was etched across his face as he beheld his little brother, who was still running toward him. A small, hesitant smile appeared on Ace's face. He turned to make eye contact with Kira, but she was watching Luffy, awe apparent on her features.

Ace took the moment to observe her, and he concluded that she looked more dead than alive. Her left arm was bent funny while her right arm oozed blood. Blood was pouring out of the hole in her shoulder, her left eye was swollen, her lip was cut and her nose was bleeding. Her right leg had a massive burn across her calf where Akainu grabbed it. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were torn; she was exhausted and, in Ace's opinion, should have passed out a long time ago.

But she kept fighting. Now that the execution had been stopped momentarily, the three admirals were back on her, taking every opportunity to wear her down a little more.

 _Just a little longer. You only have to hold on a little longer. Luffy's almost at the Platform and you saw him get the key to Ace's shackles from Boa Hancock. He'll free Ace and then all you have to do is protect them until you get to the Moby Dick. Then everything will be fine. The pain you're feeling right now is irrelevant. Just a little longer._

Kira repeated this to herself every time she felt her resolve wavering. It hurt; it hurt so much she had considered allowing herself to pass out in order to make it stop.

But she couldn't. Ace, Luffy, Pops, her crew, they all needed her to keep the admirals busy, because she was the only one who could.

Luffy had 20 feet to go before he reached Ace when his Grandpa showed up. He was racing across the cement bridge that connected to the execution platform made by the crab guy when Garp slammed down in front of him, declaring that he viewed Luffy as an enemy to the navy and himself.

"Gramps! Get out of the way!" Luffy yelled. He raised his fist, already resolving to punch his grandpa out of the way. He had to if he wanted to save his brother. Garp watched him approach, his steely nerves wavering as he beheld his grandson. To allow Luffy willingly past him was to betray the navy; he was a vice admiral, it was his job to stop pirates. But Garp knew, somewhere deep inside, that he would regret it more if he stopped Luffy here. After all, Ace was like a grandson to him too.

So as Luffy neared, fist back, Garp sighed. And as Luffy's fist connected with his face, knocking him off the bridge, Garp internally smiled.

 _That's my grandson._

Never had Kira been happier than when Ace and Luffy appeared out of those flames. After Luffy had punched Garp, he had reached the execution platform and stood before Ace, grinning. Sengoku, who was next to Ace, activated his devil fruit powers in order to turn into a giant golden buddha. Luffy, along with Mr. 3 (Luffy introduced him to Kira after she saved them) shielded Ace from Sengoku, which resulted in the entire execution platform breaking. The navy men surrounding it began shooting at Ace and Luffy, who were free falling through the air. The cannonballs exploded around them, and for a harsh, horrible moment Kira thought they were dead. Ace was still shackled with sea prism stone and Luffy had just used Gear 3, which meant that at the moment he was tiny and defenseless.

Then, out of the smoke and flame, appeared the symbol of Whitebeard, made of fire. A tunnel in the smoke and flames formed in the middle, and through the hole Kira could see the silhouettes of Ace, Luffy and Mr. 3. Luffy had unlocked Ace's shackles just in time and Ace had saved them using his Mera-Mera no Mi powers.

Tears formed in Kira's eyes as she realized that they did it. All the pain, all the death and suffering was worth it.

Ace was free.


	8. Chapter 8

Ooooooooops. I haven't updated, in, like, 18 years and I'm so sorry y'all. I can't promise consistent updates but I'll try my best to keep the story going at a consistent pace :)

 _BA-BOOM!_

The battlefield shook as Luffy deflected yet another cannonball back at the navy while Ace roasted the marines in front of him. The brothers were showcasing an incredible display of teamwork; even Sengoku had to admit they were impressive. Luffy was grinning; he hadn't fought with his brother like this in a long time and he was enjoying kicking ass with Ace again.

Ace, however, was desperate, a harsh mixture of despair and determination that pushed him harder than he'd ever gone before. He had to reach her, he _had_ to. After everything that she'd done for him, every blow she'd suffered for him, it was the least he could do to save her now. Nothing else mattered, not the men burning alive around him, the screams caused by his attacks, not even his other crewmates running with him. He had one goal, his focus solely on the woman in front of him. She and Luffy had saved him; now he would save her.

Kira, luckily, had gone numb a long time ago. Kizaru was down for the count, knocked out by a solid haki-enhanced kick to the head. Aokiji had a broken ankle and the blood dripping down from the gash above his eye was hindering his vision. Akainu, his broken rib now partnering with a broken arm, panted as he half blocked, half absorbed Kira's punch. How she could still move was beyond him; she looked like a walking corpse.

At this point her body was moving mechanically, steadily repeating moves that had been drilled into her since she was a child. She could no longer coherently decided what to do, where to punch. It was like she was a puppet and her martial arts masters from long ago were now pulling her strings, barely keeping her alive.

Block. Kick. Punch. Blast. Every usage of her ability emptied the already drained resource of her power. Where she was getting it from was a mystery but it kept coming, kept answering her call as she fought the remaining two admirals.

And then it stopped. She stumbled and collapsed to her knees, raising her bloodied hands to her face. She tried again and again to rally her rapidly fading power but whatever fumes she had been running on had finally run out.

And Akainu knew it. Planned for it. For now that she was utterly spent she could no longer defend herself or use haki. This was his moment, the opening he had so desperately waited for.

"Aokiji, NOW!" He screamed, his voice raw. Aokiji rallied the remains of his own abilities and Kira watched as his arm shifted into a long, deadly spear of ice, the point aiming for her face. He lunged for her, spear outstretched and gleaming in the murky battlefield light. A boom sounded from behind her but her focus was solely on the weapon, the arm, the _man_ that would end her life. A sigh escaped her lips and faded into the smoky air.

This was it. _At least,_ she thought, closing her eyes, _I got to see Ace again._

So this was fear. The pure, unfiltered fear that propelled Ace as he hurtled for Kira coursed through his veins, filling him with a panic so strong he couldn't see, couldn't _think_ of anything other than Kira, her broken body slumped on her knees, her eyes closed and head lolling back. She was waiting, he realized. She had no fight left and was _ready_ to die.

He wouldn't allow it. Not after everything that had happened, not when they were _so close_ to freedom.

"KIRA! GET UP!" Ace's scream pierced through the air and Kira's eyes flew open, meeting his before focusing on the spear now inches from her face. Some primal, internal instinct had her rolling out of the way, flopping onto the ground as Aokiji's spear now sailing high above her head. Ace's sigh of relief resounded in her ears as she lay there, watching him sprint towards her. Luffy was right next to him, defending him from navy men foolish enough to attack them.

As the two men neared Aokiji and Akainu turned, facing them. They both charged and Ace took the liberty to slam his hands into the pavement, creating a fire wall so high and so hot that both admirals stumbled before continuing their charge.

That stumbling moment was all they needed. Luffy and Ace swept past, guarded by Ace's fire wall.

And then Ace was there. Grasping her by the shoulders, Ace hefted Kira up into a sitting position, ignoring her groans of protest. His hand, warm and calloused, brushed against her cheek and her eyes fluttered open, hazily focusing on his handsome face. His eyes were scanning her, assessing her wounds and whether she was in danger of dying in his arms or not. Luffy was standing a few feet away, taking down any marines that neared them.

"Kira. Kira. Hey. Focus on me." Ace said, his voice strained. For she had indeed let her eyes wander away from his face to the battlefield around them.

"Look, you're in really rough shape, Kir." He used her familiar nickname, the one only he was allowed to call her. It brought her attention back to him and she struggled to process the words stumbling out of his mouth.

"Can you walk, Kira?" He asked, a note of urgency entering his voice. His grip on her shoulders tightened and he stared into her eyes, willing her to listen.

"No, I-" Kira coughed as her voice broke, overused from screaming. She shook her head, readying herself to try again.

"Ace, I can't walk or fight anymore. I'm as good as dead on a battlefield. Leave me here and Marco or Pops or someone can come get me after you and Luffy get on the ship-"

"No."

"Ace, please. Our objective was to get _you_ out of here, not me. I came here fully willing to die to get you back and-"

"No."

"Ace, _please_ just-" She was cut off a third time as Ace's arms shifted, one sliding underneath her ruined legs and the other settling on her back. Her hoisted her up in one smooth movement before turning to Luffy.

"Let's go."

And they were off, beelining for the Moby Dick. Kira, looking over Ace's shoulder as he ran, spotted Akainu seething behind them. He was too far away to catch up to them now with his broken rib and he was _livid._

 _Serves you right, asshole. You can't do_ anything _now._

Ace laughed while she flipped Akainu off before clasping her hands around his neck.

 _This,_ she thought as her eyes began to drag shut, exhaustion tugging her into blissful sleep, _made everything worth it._


End file.
